


I Could Look After You

by STARSdidathing



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avenger Loki, Caring, Crushes, Feels, Fluff, Gen, Healing, Honesty, Hurt Tony Stark, Injury, Late Night Conversations, Light Angst, Loki Angst, Loki Feels, Loki Needs a Hug, Loki-centric, M/M, Magic, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries, Pining, Possibly Unrequited Love, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Thor: The Dark World, Tony Feels, Wordcount: 5.000-10.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-05 00:10:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10293020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/pseuds/STARSdidathing
Summary: When Anthony is injured in battle, all Loki wants to do is help. But he's barely accepted as a member of the team when he's useful, let alone the rest of the time. Anthony might treat him differently than the others, but Loki has no reason to think he’d want a former enemy around when he's vulnerable and wounded.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo, a while ago **strawberryfusion** mentioned hoping to read some pining!Loki from me. That made me review the facts and I was shocked to realise that (prior to After The Tone) I hadn't posted a pining!Loki fic since November! Ack! I obviously had to change that, soooo, I pulled out this half finished work and busied myself with it. Then it took me longer then expected. I finished it today and I _thought_ about putting of posting it, but then I decided, "why wait?"
> 
> I hope you like! :)

When Anthony fell out of the sky, Loki’s heart had frozen in his chest. 

He had expected Anthony to stop, for someone to _catch_ him - but when his metal form slammed into the ground and sprayed up rubble, when Anthony didn’t _move_ , Loki had known the man must have been injured, and badly. 

Loki had _ripped_ through the enemies in his path so that he could get to Anthony, slaying anything that dared to get too close. Loki teleported as soon as he was able, but he wasn’t the first to arrive; Romanov and Wilson had reached Anthony and were engaging the emergency release of his suit.

“Stark,” Romanov was demanding, flipping up his faceplate with FRIDAY’s help and trying to get the unconscious man to wake with sharp nails and a catch to her voice that betrayed her worry.

Loki took a step closer but Wilson was quick to stand in his path; tense and wary. Loki ignored the hostility and kept his voice level. His own anxiety was crashing over and through him, but he refused to let it show, “I may be able to heal your friend.”

“You’ll get near him as a last resort,” Wilson told him firmly. The deep suspicion the Avengers still held for him was blaring through his voice.

He just wanted to shove the stupid human to the side and then push Romanov away from Anthony so that he could press all the magic possible into Anthony’s frail body. He didn’t care for the consequences or any kind of damage to their fledgling trust in him. He just cared about _Anthony_. He hardly cared if even the... _depth_ of his emotions were discovered. He could survive a lack of reciprocation as long as Anthony survived _at all_.

A sudden, harsh cough brought them from their standoff and drew their attention back to Anthony’s injured form.

“Ow,” he whined, sounding wretched and small. Loki stepped closer at the sound, regardless of the two glares he was receiving from the unharmed Avengers. 

Anthony was pale and Loki’s fingers itched to touch him. He dragged his eyes to Romanov who was watching him with far too much incredulity, the kind that was bordering revelation. Loki didn’t care for her realisation as long as it allowed him his request, “I will take him to SHIELD for healing.” 

_Or I will heal him myself_ , Loki added silently, _and you cannot stop me_.

“I’m fine, s-nothin’,” Anthony slurred and Loki’s cheek twitched, the only betrayal of his agitation. His fingers also startled to curl with the tension and desperation straining under his skin.

Romanov caught everything and while it only furthered her theories about what he felt, it also let her to agree to his request. She didn’t answer him directly, but she pressed fingers to her headset and spoke, “Stark’s down. Loki’s taking him to SHIELD’s medical quarters. He needs a team there.”

Loki wasted no time in closing the remaining distance and bending down to Anthony. He magically removing the majority of Anthony’s armour despite the protests and grunts he was receiving. Loki felt the colour drain from his face when he got to the undersuit and found _blood_ – far more than what looked safe for a mortal. Loki carefully but quickly picked up Anthony, holding him close to his chest and only pausing when Romanov’s hand clenched around his forearm. He looked at her as she spoke, the Allspeak translating what was being told to him in Russian, “ _I’m trusting you with the man you love. Do not make me regret that decision_.”

Loki swallowed before responding in her native tongue, “ _You speak as if you think I **can** harm him_.”

Romanov looked surprised at the honesty, but Loki didn’t stay for a response as he shrugged her off and teleported Anthony to the medical bay. There were already attendants there and while Loki mourned the loss of Anthony in his arms, he was grateful to put him down and see them begin to take care of his wounds. Anthony was trying to fight them and Loki wanted to reach out and sooth him. He wanted to wrap a spell of sleep and healing over him and feel Anthony curl into his touch, but SHIELD’s cameras were likely locked on his figure, and Anthony would hardly seek comfort from _him_.

He knew that Romanov’s knowledge meant SHIELD would likely find out regardless - but her decision to use another language made him... uncertain, _wary_. She might yet decide to hold her tongue, but only to keep leverage over him. Loki knew her type well; she had far too many similarities to himself, after all.

“Loki,” Rogers called, making him flinch slightly at the sound in his ear. It also drew his focus away from Anthony. “If Tony’s safe, we need you back here. There’s another device on Fifth Avenue and Clint can’t hold it.”

“Oh, like I want to team up with _him_.”

“Loki’s the only one who can get there fast enough,” Rogers answered. “We need it destroyed. Work together.”

Loki gritted his teeth, wanting to stay, wanting to _demand_ further acknowledgement of Anthony's injury. But he knew the importance of the battlefield, knew that they needed to stop the attack there or Anthony’s survival could well be for nothing. It didn’t mean Loki’s body and his _heart_ wasn’t demanding that he stay.

_Anthony will not want his city harmed._

Clenching his fists, Loki gave Anthony one more careful, longing glance before he let the room fade away from him to be replaced by Barton’s startled face at his appearance. “I will take the device.”

Barton shrugged, recovering from his surprise quickly. “Better you than me.”

The item in question was like a portal and it spat out all manner of creatures. While Loki wouldn’t normally relish appearing in such a hostile area but at the moment he needed it. He needed to let out his rage and his worry. He also needed to force his attention on something other than Anthony.

Loki couldn’t dare allow himself to think that something irreparable might have happened to him.

* * *

They defeated the creatures, destroyed the last of the devices - _protected this pitiful world_ \- and were finally allowed to return to SHIELD. The room Anthony had been placed in was hardly big enough for the crowded group of warriors who all wanted to see him, but it posed little problem to their determination.

Loki followed last and with a few glares still aimed at him. He had been with them for a year, but he was still disliked by all but Thor, Barnes and Anthony. Thor wished to see them be _brothers again_ while Barnes believed that if he gained a clean slate, so should Loki. Anthony, though, he was too fascinated to let any residual anger get in the way of new knowledge.

Loki liked to think that the months of close association in his lab had allowed Anthony to like him as a person as well as a puzzle, but Loki couldn’t be certain and didn’t dare allow himself the chance to be wrong.

His own uncertainty and the dislike of the others meant he was forced to stand in the back of the room, hardly able to see Anthony’s bandaged but grinning form as he told them all, “I knew I was popular guys, but really, showers would have been nice first. I might just choke on all the fucking _fumes_ you’re letting off.”

The relief in the room was palpable and Loki actually collapsed back a little against the wall, shutting his eyes for a single moment as his heart started to loosen from its vice. When he felt eyes on him though, he stiffened and quickly searched them out. He found Romanov making her way over to join him, leaning against the wall with barely any distance between them.

“ _Do you come to dangle your discovery over my head?_ ” He questioned her quietly in Russian, feeling exhaustion in his bones over the situation. Feeling frustration at how weak he had become.

Two years ago he would have killed her outright without care of it being tied to him. A year ago he would have snapped her neck and elaborately designed the death to be untraceable to him. He might also have spelled her to silence while placing a curse on her for good measure. 

A year ago he wouldn’t have cared how much attacking her would have hurt and destroyed his chances with Anthony Stark.

Romanov’s lips twitched as if she knew every action he’d thought of, and every rejection that had swiftly followed it. “ _Your attraction isn’t hurting anyone_.” She tilted her head slightly to eye him. “ _It’s doing the opposite_.”

He barred his teeth, not liking the implication. “ _I can still slaughter you all_.”

“ _As long as you love him, you won’t_ ,” she pinpointed simply and it made him cringe. “ _As long as no one knows about it, you’ll play along with the Avengers in order to keep him close. Keep him **happy**_.” She pushed away from the wall and faced him directly. “ _And as long as you’re fighting for our side_.” She shrugged. “ _I won’t tell anyone, even him_.”

Romanov turned on her heel before he could attempt to say anything more, slipping through the crowd of Avengers to pass on her gratitude that Anthony had survived. Loki wanted to _hurt her_ so much that it almost blinded him with his fury - but she knew as well as he did, that he wasn’t in a position to do it.

It infuriated him, and it also helped to make him leave. He knew Anthony wouldn’t want to see him when he was injured. He knew Anthony still barely trusted him in his lab and only allowed him inside so that he could analyse his magic.

He knew they weren’t friends and that he wasn’t wanted here. Anthony was _okay_ \- and that would have to be enough. Loki still shifted slightly, just enough to look between the shoulders of Barton and Banner to be able to glimpse Anthony. He was laughing, a slightly pained tightness at his eyes but genuine humour on his face and it eased some of the rage in Loki’s chest. 

Anthony was alive and well, and that was what was important.

Closing his eyes on that image of Anthony’s smiling face, Loki allowed himself to fade away from SHIELD and back to his rooms in Avenger Tower. Director Fury rarely cared for his input on their battles and if he did, he could always ask it of him later. 

Removing his battle clothes, he hesitated briefly at the blood that was not his own and let out a shaky breath before banishing it away. He would deal with cleaning it later, when Anthony was walking around the tower again; healthy, energetic and _well_.

Loki would need the comfort of Anthony close to hand, if he had to wipe away something that could have killed him.

* * *

It took a day for Anthony to return to the tower, mostly because of his own pestering of the SHIELD Doctors and his threat to claim being kidnapped until he was allowed to go home. 

Loki only heard of the specifics by secretly listening to the exasperated conversations between Rogers and Wilson. He knew he wouldn’t be welcomed near a healing Anthony and so he had kept his distance.

It didn’t mean Loki didn’t see him around the common areas. The way that Anthony batted at anyone’s hands whenever they tried to help him, the dismissal of his injuries when anyone looked like they were worrying - and the moments when no one else was watching and Anthony’s face went slack with exhaustion or pain.

Loki wanted to reach out and heal him, to wipe the weariness from his brow and mend the tender spots still littering his body. (He also wanted to kiss every bruise and send the magic out through his lips. Stroke every aching muscle until he gave them a new, more pleasurable reason to pull at Anthony. Then Loki would heal that too; heal everything but the marks of passion and claim left on each other’s skin.)

He knew, of course, that it was all a fantasy.

So Loki stayed away and wondered what Anthony was doing when he was alone and no one was there, when he had no need for a mask and had let it slide from his face. _Loki_ wished to be welcomed in those moments and he found those thoughts, those _fantasies_ plagued his waking hours. 

But it was the images of Anthony _not_ surviving the fall that haunted his sleep.

He’d found himself wandering the tower at night, having occasional conversations with Anthony’s AI to while away the time. They were polite to one another and FRIDAY would always assist Loki in any way she could. She was programmed to serve, after all, and Loki liked being able to interact with something that was created by Anthony.

She still knew of the prejudice surrounding him however and refused him most things, so he was genuinely surprised that she hadn’t warned him of the other person who was awake. Loki was also shocked that she hadn’t warned _Anthony_ and let him avoid meeting Loki at all.

Yet, there Anthony sat, hunched over on the couch and looking weary and alone.

Loki only hesitated for a moment before he found his feet taking him towards the other man. 

He made sure not to mask the sound of his steps. He also kept the soft words and the concern he wanted to show locked tightly inside and out of his voice. He announced himself brusquely instead, “Are your injuries worsening, Stark?”

Anthony didn’t jump at his words, nor did he react to finding out he wasn’t alone. It made Loki wonder if FRIDAY _had_ told him and Anthony simply hadn’t cared. He worried suddenly that Romanov had gone back on her word, although he’d seen no evidence to support that.

“Thankfully, “Anthony eventually answered him, “I’m not that unlucky yet. But hey, who knows? I’m sure Lady Luck is more than willing to crap on me some more if I give her half the chance.”

Loki almost smiled at the words as he stopped not far from the other. “Perhaps you should minimise her ability. I do believe you should be resting.”

Anthony’s face twisted into a grimace. “You’re as bad as Rogers. ‘No going in the lab, Tony. No getting in the suit, Tony. Get back into bed, Tony. Have you had your medication, _Tony?_ ’.”

“I rarely agree with the Captain,” Loki told him, “but I do believe he is right to keep you from some of those suggestions.”

Anthony looked at him with disappointment and betrayal. “What did I ever do to you to make you side with _Rogers_?”

 _Injured yourself_ , Loki’s mind whispered, _and haunted me with far worse fates_.

“If you wish to go out and deepen your wounds, I can hardly stop you from being so foolish.” Loki gave a faint shrug. “But I did credit you with greater sense.”

Anthony sighed and leant back even further against the couch. He suddenly looked _drained_ and Loki realised, with some small shock, that those very masks he wore around his many friends were not present on him now. He was letting Loki see him open and wounded and Loki’s heart ached with the honesty of it. Loki didn’t care that it was likely exhaustion as well as Anthony’s disinterest in him that allowed it. Loki was still witnessing the truth. He was looking at the man underneath, the one he wanted. 

When Loki spoke again, he found his voice had gentled significantly, “You should rest, Anthony.”

He’d used Anthony’s name.

He only realised the mistake once he’d said it, but Anthony’s hardly seemed to notice, he didn’t even open his eyes. “Would if I could.”

“You can’t sleep?”

“A little too much pain for that.”

Loki frowned. “Do you not have some Midgardian medication?” The scrunch of Anthony’s nose followed by a quick smoothing of his expression answered Loki’s question, “Ah, but you will not _take_ it.” He scowled. “Why would you refuse-”

“I didn’t talk to you,” Anthony snapped suddenly, his eyes opening, “to have you go all ‘ _Rogers_ ’ on me.”

Loki realised all too suddenly why _he_ had been the one allowed so close. He’d been relieved, initially, that Anthony didn’t feel worry being around him while he was injured, but now he just felt cold. “Ah,” he got out flatly, “but you spoke to me because you believed I held no care for you, and that I would be unconcerned with seeing you suffer due to your own idiocy.”

“Well, yeah,” Anthony blinked at him. “Why would you? You dislike us even more then the team dislikes you.”

_The **Avengers** , you fool. I dislike them, not **you**._

Loki attempted not to care, or at least, not to let the sting of the words show on his face. His smile was a tight grimace and Anthony was far from unobservant. His eyebrows had furrowed and he’d sat up a little more. “Wait,” He started. “Do you actually-”

“Do try not to kill yourself, Stark,” Loki interrupted, “not when I am the last person to have spoken to you.” 

He gave a tight nod and turned on his heel, planning to leave the other man to his assumptions and his pain. He knew FRIDAY would monitor Anthony to make sure his condition wouldn’t worsen. Banner would then be called, or SHIELD’s Doctors. Anthony did not need Loki, nor did it seem, that he thought highly of him.

Loki had only taken a few steps when Anthony called, “Hey, wait, Loki. I’m sorry!” 

He let out a pained gasp seconds later and that, combined with the words froze Loki in place. He could hear Anthony trying to get his breath back and he couldn’t stop himself from turning. Anthony had shifted on the couch, trying to stop him and was now holding a hand to his chest after having aggravated his wounds. 

Loki was forced to wait and watch as Anthony forced himself to weather it. Loki had to slide his hands behind his back and clench them together. He wanted to offer help, offer _healing_ , but doubted Anthony would see it as anything other than being pitied. He had rejected looking after from every other Avenger, why would Loki be any different?

When Anthony finally managed to settle, he brought his eyes to Loki and his expression was almost apologetic. “Sorry. I just didn’t see you after, well,” he looked down at himself before back to Loki. “Everyone else was there. I figured you just hadn’t given a shit; one less mortal to be stuck around and all that.”

“You were injured,” Loki pointed out quietly. “One would assume a former enemy would not be welcome at such a vulnerable time.”

Anthony looked at him oddly. “You were in a room surrounded by Avengers. You wouldn’t be that stupid as to try and hurt me.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Loki murmured. _I wouldn’t hurt you at all_. “But I did not believe you would enjoy my presence.”

Anthony still looked like he was trying to understand what was being told to him. “You thought I would, what, fear you?”

“Your team mates did not enjoy me assisting you to SHIELD, regardless of your need to be transported quickly.” Loki tried not to remember the limp feeling of Anthony in his arms, the very weight that woke him from his sleep in a terrified sweat that had him wishing for the other. “They have reason enough to dislike me, it was a simple conclusion that you would not wish for me to be there either.”

Anthony, of course, focused on the one part Loki didn’t want him to. “So, you would have been there if you thought I wouldn’t have minded?”

Loki had to pick his next words very carefully. “Once assured of your survival, I would have seen little point. I doubt you wanted another person crowding your bedside doling out monotonous well wishes.”

Anthony’s mouth actually curved into an amused smile. “I don’t know. It could have been fun if you came up with something less cliché to tell me. You’re a wordsmith, right? You’re just the kind of person I’d want signing my get well card.”

Loki found his own grin forming, a soft thrill flooding his chest at the implications, but he tried to keep it from showing too greatly. “I shall keep it in mind, the next time you injure yourself.”

“Heh,” Anthony chuckled. “Hopefully that won’t be any time soon.”

They fell into a soft, companionable silence after that, with Anthony relaxing back against the couch, tilting his head against it and closing his eyes. Loki just let himself watch the soft vulnerability the other man didn’t even seem to care he was revealing. He was as relaxed as he could be, but he was still holding himself with obvious care. His eyes were closed and his face still had tense lines of pain, but he was incredibly beautiful and Loki felt all too fortunate for being able to study him.

“Are you just going to stand there and stare, or will you sit down?” Anthony asked, not even opening his eyes, his voice was teasing though so Loki didn’t take it to heart.

He only hesitated for a moment before taking a place on the opposite end of the couch. Anthony didn’t react even as he asked, “So, you know why I’m up. What about you?”

Loki’s let his gaze run over Anthony, lingering on his gently rising chest and the proof that he was fine, that he had _survived_. 

“Unpalatable dreams,” he answered vaguely, but Anthony opened his eyes and looked at Loki with a wealth of understanding. 

Anthony then shifted, possibly to better face Loki, but he must have twisted wrong because he flinched, which made him grimace and bite down on a cry. Loki’s had moved on instinct, coming closer as he placed one hand on Anthony’s shoulder to steady him while the other hovered near his knee. 

Anthony’s fists were tightly clenched as he waited for the wave to pass. He had fractured ribs, extensive bruising and a puncture to his abdomen that had needed stitches but had thankfully not done further damage. He was also littered with minor lacerations and further bruising that his long sleeves and pants currently covered. 

Loki _hated_ seeing him in pain and wanted to sooth it all away with soft strokes of his fingers. He wanted to _remove_ any of Anthony’s lingering wounds, but he knew his touch, let alone his _magic_ wouldn’t be welcome.

“You should take your Midgardian medication,” Loki eventually told him, when the worse of Anthony’s pain seem to have ebbed.

“ _No_ ,” Anthony gritted out.

Loki narrowed his eyes. “Why do you refuse? You are clearly in need of it.”

“Because I don’t want to,” he snapped, and Loki could see him closing off. He could see Anthony rejecting his presence and slapping off his touch. Loki could see all the ways Anthony would refuse him if he continued to try and force the issue.

_But he will refuse you regardless, this is an aberration not normality - and he cannot be left like this. I will not let him leave **himself** like this._

Loki readied himself for the anger and the arguments, before coldly telling him, “Do you wish to cease defending your world? For I see little future in a defender who cannot _heal_.”

“I’ll heal just fine on my own,” Anthony snapped. “I’m not taking something that’s going to debilitate me even more than the damn injuries.” He beared his teeth, but it was less at Loki and more to show his conviction. “I’ll weather it.”

“You will suffer for nothing but your own _pride_?”

Anthony glared at him. “I’m sorry, did I _ask_ for your opinion?”

“I believe you incur it when you allow such a blatant disregard for your own wellbeing.”

Anthony let out a harsh breath. “Look, those kind of drugs fog the fuck out of your mind. I’m not about to spend weeks unable to do a god damn thing because I’m off my fucking face.” His mouth became a thin line and although he was still furious his eyes looked almost... distant. “I don’t want to be unable to think clearly.”

The words made Loki’s irritation fade slightly, understanding all at once why Anthony was resisting them. “There are not others you can take?”

Anthony gave a tight smile. “None that are going to work the way those do. Downsides of prescription meds; the stronger you need, the worse the side effects.”

Loki nodded slowly. “So you will do nothing rather than compromise yourself.”

“I can handle pain,” Anthony told him and he shifted slightly in a way that Loki knew was meant to dislodge his hand. Loki didn’t budge. Anthony gave him an odd look for it. “Look. I’m fine now and we’re done with this. You’ve got your answers, now I could use some privacy.”

 _This hurts him_ , Loki realised. Anthony had been truthful and it automatically made him shy from further conversation, from further _weakness_. Not that there was anything weak in his wishes, rather, there was strength. It was something Loki hadn’t recognised, not without knowing the motivations behind it, and Loki could understand them now.

He still believed Anthony was being ridiculous and unnecessary, and that for a few days at least he should submit to the assistance. Yet, Anthony didn’t know there was also another option to be taken, one that only _Loki_ could offer. It was also something he was desperate to give, something that from the moment Anthony had fallen from the sky, his hands had twitched to bestow.

Loki licked his lips and looked down at Anthony’s torso. “I understand your reluctance,” he murmured lowly, before dragging his eyes to Anthony’s. They were narrowed and suspicious and his body was still tense. Loki ignored all of it and continued to hold Anthony’s gaze. “Allow me to offer a secondary option.”

Confusion became the dominant emotion on Anthony’s face, but Loki just let his magic collect in the palm touching Anthony’s shoulder before gently directing it to warm Anthony’s skin. Anthony jerked his head down, but before he could try and pull away, Loki shifted closer and explained, “Healing, after all, is not unknown to me.”

When Anthony just continued to stare but never rejected him, Loki moved his free hand to lightly press against Anthony’s stomach. He felt the muscles jerk, but Loki just fed more magic into him, letting it send tendrils of warmth to find Anthony’s wounds and begin the slow process of mending them.

He heard Anthony let out a shaking breath and Loki’s eyes moved from Anthony’s chest to his face. Anthony’s eyes were wide and his mouth was open slightly. He was looking at Loki with incredulity, but also with _wonder_. Anthony was looking at him as if he was something divine, something incredible and something _special_.

The expression was combined with an action that was so inherently intimate to Loki, even if Anthony didn’t know it. The position had also drawn him closer than he’d ever been to Anthony, touching him in ways he never had, and sharing his magic as he poured every ounce of caring, affection and _love_ into the touches.

Because healing magic required more than just power, it required the mage to _care_. The care of a healer for their patient, the empathy of the mage for the other person - but for Loki, it wasn’t so simple. He adored Anthony, he loved him and he wanted to do everything in his power to help him.

It meant that those emotions poured out of him, poured into the magic against his better judgement. It also meant that when he was looking at Anthony and was being stared at with such marvelling eyes, Loki did something reckless.

He did something _unforgivable_. He leant the remaining distance forward and placed his mouth over Anthony’s in a gentle, longing kiss.

It made Loki feel... light, feel like his heart was burning even while his body filled with every inch of adoration and want for the other man. It poured out of his magic even when the kiss was light and chaste. It was only for a few seconds, it only _felt_ perfect for a handful of moments where all he could feel was his own affection for the other man.

Then he noticed the tension, the way Anthony _hadn’t_ responded and it made him register what he had done before he jerked back abruptly, snapping the connection of their mouths as well as his magic. His hands hovered in the air as he stared at Anthony’s shocked expression. _Norns, no_.

“I apologize,” Loki forced out around a rolling stomach and sinking heart. “I’ll leave you.”

Loki pushed off the couch and away from the other as fluidly and quickly as possible. He wanted to run, to teleport, to _flee_ , but he made himself walk with fast strides, his body tense and waiting for anger or an accusation.

“Loki, wait!” Anthony tried, but Loki only moved faster. He didn’t want to hear the truth; he didn’t want to know the response to his advance. He just wanted- “You haven’t finished healing me!”

Loki stopped before he fully thought it through, frozen mid-step and staring at nothing. His heart was pounding as he heard the sound of approaching feet. Anthony didn’t touch him or try to make him turn; he walked around him until he could stand between Loki and the door. Loki forced his eyes to drag up and meet Anthony’s.

Anthony’s expression was... much the same as it always was. There was no disgust, no mockery, just a faint, curious interest and his ever present half-smile. “You're not going to leave this half finished, are you?” He gestured at himself, his movements already far less constrained. “You told me I’d be a useless hero otherwise, come on.”

Loki swallowed and let his eyes travel over the other, both incredibly tempted and nervous to continue. He already felt so much from the intimacy of before, he’d already _slipped_ once... but, perhaps this was his chance to recover himself? If Anthony hadn’t worked out the depth of his feelings... this could be the best way to mask his affections.

He gave Anthony a tight nod before taking the small step needed to reach him comfortably. He didn’t look at Anthony’s eyes as he brought a hand to rest over Anthony’s ribs while the other went to his forearm. The embrace was hardly as close as before, but as his magic slid back around Anthony and his emotions leaked out with it again, Loki needed to close his eyes to keep himself in control.

It still took some minutes and while he wanted to take the excuse to run his hand over Anthony’s chest, he made himself stay rigid and still. He’d already taken one liberty with Anthony, he wouldn’t take another. It was only when the last of Anthony’s scrapes were healing over, when his magic was feeling the strain of spells he rarely used, that Loki opened his eyes and removed his hands. 

It was when he went to speak, ‘ _It’s done, you’re healed, Anthony_ ’ that Anthony smiled, blinding and beautiful before he rocked up onto his tip-toes. Loki barely had a chance to react beyond widening his eyes before Anthony’s mouth pressed against his own. It was just as gentle, just as _light_ as Loki’s own kiss. It also didn’t last anywhere near long enough before Anthony was dropping back down, his feet firmly on the ground once more.

His smile was still there but softer as he told Loki. “Thanks.”

Loki had a thousand things he wanted to say, question and _do_ , but something in Anthony’s tone, in the look in his eyes made Loki keep them all locked inside as he nodded instead.

“I hope,” Anthony continued, “that it doesn’t take me getting injured again to hang out with you more.”

Loki blinked, seeing it for the olive branch, the _chance_ that it was. He was stunned, but he wasn’t about to refuse. “No. No, I don’t think you’ll need to.”

“Great.” Anthony took a step back, but never lost his grin. “Night, Loki. Come find me in the lab tomorrow.”

“I will,” Loki promised, mystified and unable to hide it as Anthony sent him a wink and a wave before he was walking away and leaving Loki alone.

Loki could hardly believe it had happened, but he found himself smiling, soft and hopeful and far happier than he’d been in... far too many years. 

_Tomorrow._

Perhaps his wants and wishes, perhaps _Anthony_ wasn’t as impossible as Loki had thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Hehe. So tip-toe kisses are a thing my friend likes, so I put that in here for her. She also helped with my summary which I'm very grateful for since coming up with one had been giving me issues -_-.
> 
> This story has also been something I've been trying to write/finish for aaaaages so that's been nice to achieve :) I hope you enjoyed your good ol' fashion pining!Loki! :)


End file.
